About the author

Andy Carrington, an anti-fascist poet/writer from West Yorkshire, has recently released a collection of poems entitled "ANTIFA", which outlines his opposite to the far-right and notes various experiences opposing them.

ANTIFA – a call for cultural resistance

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The discrimination that’s happening now towards Muslims is the same discrimination the Jewish people experienced under Hitler’s reign. The approach may be different and the names of the targeting groups may have changed, but the desire to stir up hatred and segregate communities remains the same in modern day fascist and racist ideologies.

Moving on from my last book, Somewhere In-Between Misanthropy & AntiFascism/Paki Lover, which focused primarily upon dialogue taken from conversations I’d overheard in streets and locals pubs, this book tends to tackle the hateful scaremongering of those associated with the far-right head-on, via a much more active interest in politics.

My main fight throughout putting this book together has been with the English Defence League (EDL) and British National Party (BNP), whose members, I’ve found, tend to hide behind patriotism as a way of targeting Muslims and installing fear in others about the apparent threat Islam poses to Western democracy at this point in time.

The discrimination and hatred from these parties isn’t just religion-specific, though, as I’ve noticed there is a tendency to target anyone of non-white ethnicity and/or those belonging to [what they view as] a separate national group (most particularly, Indian or Pakistani). The unwillingness of EDL and BNP members to mix, and view those belonging to different cultures as equals, ultimately means that false assumptions are made and various lies become circulated as “facts”.

Fuelled by the viewpoints of many confused and frustrated individuals, admittedly, there was a certain amount of scepticism that accompanied some of my earlier writings. As my journey progressed, however, and my subconscious punk and hip-hop influences began playing more of a part, I started using the power of word to untangle the snobbery, traditionalism and veiled racism that many often tie in with their views of English and British identity.

Accompanied by the need to challenge the far-right’s ideologies face-to-face, protest regularly at demos and defend oneself against physical confrontation, this book serves as a statement of resistance. My hope is that more people begin to realise how essential the Antifa movement is, and desire to become involved in tackling the openly-prejudicial neo-Nazis, as well as those casual racists/fascists who attempt to disguise their hateful viewpoints with the colours of their flags.

Fascism: Rebranded

They’ll no longer voteBNP ‘cause they’re scared
of being called “FASCIST”

But they’ll happily voteTory or UKIP
like there’s a great deal
of difference.

“IT’S REALITY, SO OH
NO, IT CAN’T BE FASCISM!”

Bollocks;

Fascism never changes;
it just gets a different name.

Whether it’s EDL, BNP,NF or any other far-right
name under the sun

It’s a fight we must endure

And not take with them
lying down.

This excerpt was taken from Andy Carrington’s new book of poems, ANTIFA. You can purchase it on paperback or ebook version here.